What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Honda Civic problems by year
Owners have filed 10,511 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda Civic across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2006 for visibility complaints, 2007 for suspension complaints and 2001 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 1992 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 1992, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 105111990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20061314 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1416134 fires · 1135 injuries · 38 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 56kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 342Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 15 | 10 | Seat belts (34) | |
| 109 | 12 | 8 | Seat belts (37) | |
| 98 | 26 | 13 | Electrical system (28) | |
| 145 | 40 | 13 | Air bags (27) | |
| 135 | 62 | 14 | Air bags (56) | |
| 198 | 84 | 12 | Air bags (75) | |
| 303 | 66 | 17 | Air bags (68) | |
| 366 | 67 | 16 | Air bags (133) | |
| 418 | 80 | 18 | Electrical system (88) | |
| 320 | 59 | 15 | Electrical system (113) | |
| 260 | 71 | 18 | Air bags (61) | |
| 1045 | 141 | 27 | Powertrain and transmission (401) | |
| 669 | 105 | 24 | Air bags (228) | |
| 466 | 83 | 24 | Air bags (123) | |
| 329 | 44 | 15 | Air bags (121) | |
| 284 | 67 | 15 | Air bags (109) | |
| 1314 | 73 | 15 | Visibility (210) | |
| 1114 | 44 | 9 | Suspension (244) | |
| 813 | 53 | 7 | Air bags (157) | |
| 347 | 33 | 8 | Air bags (82) | |
| 343 | 23 | 8 | Air bags (79) | |
| 140 | 17 | 9 | Air bags (40) | |
| 312 | 45 | 3 | Air bags (106) | |
| 199 | 21 | 0 | Air bags (56) | |
| 149 | 22 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (38) | |
| 113 | 19 | 1 | Air bags (25) | |
| 275 | 23 | 5 | Electrical system (53) | |
| 106 | 13 | 6 | Electrical system (30) | |
| 43 | 8 | 6 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 8 | 0 | 4 | Engine (4) |
What fails on the 2006 Honda Civic
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 16% |
210 | 2 | Shop visibility parts for the 2006 Honda Civic |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 15% |
201 | 5 | Shop suspension parts for the 2006 Honda Civic |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 14% |
182 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Honda Civic |
| Air bags | 12% |
163 | 36 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 11% |
149 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Honda Civic |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
87 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Honda Civic |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
78 | 4 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2006 Honda Civic |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
73 | 3 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2006 Honda Civic |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
The drivers side sun visor broke. It can be snapped back into place, but while it's broken, it decreases visibility and it takes two hands to snap it back up. This has happened repeatedly now.
-
Can't get dealer to replace airbag (passenger) on recall. They say parts are backordered. Service bulletin, 08-001 was never informed of and now cost is borne by user to replace faulty suspension parts
-
Total transmission failure under normal driving conditions. This failure took place while driving to work (18.5 miles). There was no warning or noise associated with the failure. Once parked the engine would run but would not engage into drive or reverse.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Honda Civic years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2001 carry the most filings on the Honda Civic. The 2006 alone has 1314 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common Honda Civic problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 210 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda Civic problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda Civic complaints that include mileage is about 56,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.